Cincinnati’s West Side Breweries

It’s not often I road trip up and across I-75 to the West side, but when I do, it’s for beer.

I know there’s the whole East side vs West side rivalry thing here in Cincinnati, but I’m originally from Cleveland and I now live on the side of the river everyone hates anyway (AKA Kentucky), so I guess I won’t ever understand. HOWEVER, I will say a trip to the West side is my nightmare. I’ve always been a highway-loving gal. If my destination isn’t right off the exit, I don’t want to go. So, I really just don’t understand how anyone has the patience for side roads and getting to/around the West side. But I’ll do it every so often for a good beer!

After filling the tank and packing some snacks for the long haul (slight exaggeration), I set out to check out some of the West side breweries this weekend. Here’s the scoop:

Located in College Hill, this is one of Cincy’s newest microbreweries. Overall, I loved the atmosphere with its modern, natural decor and the beers were pretty tasty. Plus they had a large parking lot– score! I loved the Like A Boss IPA and would highly recommend trying that.

This nanobrewery in Mt. Healthy was really refreshing and low-key. It seemed like the perfect afternoon hangout, setup in a quaint but remodeled building with ton of natural light flowing in the space. I talked with the owner while there and she mentioned plans to develop an additional outdoor space this summer. I’m all about outdoor hangouts in the summer!

Here’s the beers I tried, starting at the top:

Galacto, Brute? (Brown Ale)

The Tollhouse (Stout)

Marty’s Hamilton Ave (IPA)

Earth Daisy (IPA)

Dummy Tripel (Belgian Tripel)

We had just missed a few other seasonal beers, including a Pepper Stout, which we were bummed about. According to their website, they’ve also had a really interesting variety of previous beers like a pumpkin porter with Holtman’s bacon donuts (say what!).

This place is in the basement of an old church. While it’s remodeled, I definitely felt like I was in a church basement and their bathrooms were a tad creepy. Also, I thought it stunk a bit– but hey, that’s the smell of history? Even though it’s not my kind of spot, their beer is great!

Here’s my favorites:

Otso (Brown Ale)

Phrenology (IPA)

Sliderule (Gose)

Maize (Lager)

Habanero Lime Finn (Berliner Weisse)

Now that they can their beer, I think I’d prefer to just grab a six-pack versus hang out there. Definitely still check it out though, as you may disagree. Especially if you’re a hearty Westsider. Plus, you can take a really hipster B&W photograph like this one.